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Key Takeaways

Effective asthma care includes both clinical treatment and environmental management.

Home visits may help health plans improve quality of life for those with asthma and reduce asthma disparities.

Home-based assessments that reduce exposure to triggers are important elements of quality care.

Summary

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of children and adults, impacting 25 million Americans. Poor and minority children have the greatest burden of disease. Adults with asthma lose an average of five days of work each year and children miss four days of school due to asthma. Asthma exacts an enormous financial toll in health care and productivity costs and results in millions of emergency visits and hospitalizations.

This report offers findings from a national assessment of health plan asthma care activities and a summary of a 2016 National Asthma Leadership Roundtable. The Roundtable, convened by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), included leaders from Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and featured discussions with health plan representatives on developing sustainable environmental asthma management programs for culturally diverse populations.